Re: New to Bourbon & Confused about PracticalWhisky.net

Firstly, I tried the OFS last night. My first pour didn't really excite me. The nose had a lot of alcohol, and it burned. But as I let it sit a bit (and moved onto my second pour), I really warmed up to it. I think I could get used to this stuff! The way it first hits your mouth with that slap of sweet is orgasmic!

Originally Posted by ErichPryde

what was your preference when it came to scotches?

Thank you for the long reply!

I was thinking that OWA should be good. (MM is the same price around here.)

I will check out Corner Creek Reserve. It looks right in my price range. (I'm hoping to make this entire flight for around $100.)

Macallan 12 was my daily pour. Though I could get Macallan 18 at Trader Joe's for less sometimes! (Not anymore though.) I must admit that I didn't try many of the more expensive (or any of the really peaty, i.e. Laphroaig) brands.

I just gave the Practical site a good look and it seems clearly tilted towards Scotch, even stinky Scotch scores higher than most Bourbon.

This was exactly my impression and exactly the type of reply for which I was looking. (I just didn't want to coerce it out of someone.) Thanks for that!

Re: New to Bourbon & Confused about PracticalWhisky.net

Originally Posted by ErichPryde

FURTHERMORE.... yes, I think the Weller Antique will do the wheaters justice. I personally can not stand the Weller 12 and would rather drink boiling tequila rose. Oak seems to be prominent in a lot of the wheated bourbons (with the exception of the William Larue Weller that I have in the cabinet), and in my opinion it dominates the W12 too thoroughly. I do like the Antique, and PVW15, among other wheaters... But that's personal preference for ya- other people love the W12 and seem to dislike things like the ERSB, which I think is a great everyday drinkin' whiskey.

I'll weigh in here . . . first off, I think all of the Buffalo Trace wheaters (Wellers, Van Winkles) do the style justice . . . they are, in my opinion, the best wheaters out there, period (unless you can find some older Stitzel-Weller juice).

My advice? Try everything. You'll find that something you didn't like yesterday or last week or last year, you may love today. I'm a firm believer that what order you drink whiskeys in make a huge difference in how your palate receives them . . . for example I love the Weller 12 & Lot 'B' 12 year, but they taste much better to me if I start with something younger (OWA is my standard primer). You may find that some whiskeys that you would imagine to be similar are vastly different: I don't care for OGD86 or OGD BIB, but OGD114 is one of my all time favorites . . . you can't assume anything.

I'm starting to re-buy bottles that I didn't like the first time around just to see what my current opinion is . . . I think you'll find the more different bourbons you sample, the more elastic your tastes will become.

Some things are just love/hate . . . I just can't abide ERSB, but some love it . . . conversely, I love things that don't seem to impress others.

Seems like you have a good lineup, so line 'em up and start elasticizing that palate of yours!

Cheers!

"A person can work up a mean, mean thirst after a hard day of nothing much at all . . . "

Re: New to Bourbon & Confused about PracticalWhisky.net

Originally Posted by sailor22

I just gave the Practical site a good look and it seems clearly tilted towards Scotch, even stinky Scotch scores higher than most Bourbon.

So if you want your Bourbon to taste like Scotch you can take the scores seriously - if not just follow some of the previous advice. Try anything you think you might like. Taste as many as you can and post some impressions. Enjoy and have fun.

Hmm. I wonder why he liked the Eagle Rare so much? I'm not really reminded of Scotch when I drink it. but maybe that's just me...

Originally Posted by SMOWK

I like to save up the charred bits in the bottom of the unfiltered stuff. When I have enough, I pour milk on it and eat it.

Re: New to Bourbon & Confused about PracticalWhisky.net

Originally Posted by funknik

Me either, but I don't like Scotch and I don't like Eagle Rare very much either . . .

coincidence?

I think that the reason I enjoy Eagle Rare as much as I do is practicality: I can pick up a 750 for 25 dollars after tax (or a 1.75 for 48) at Jacob's Liquor Exchange here in Wichita. when I was "new" to whiskies, this was an excellent deal for one of the more premium brands, and I got used to it. I've found things I like more, but too many of those things are just too much more expensive.

I absolutely love the diversity of taste that's out there, this site just wouldn't be any fun if everyone thought that the current Old Crow mashbill was handed down by God. Or something.

Originally Posted by SMOWK

I like to save up the charred bits in the bottom of the unfiltered stuff. When I have enough, I pour milk on it and eat it.

Re: New to Bourbon & Confused about PracticalWhisky.net

Originally Posted by ErichPryde

I think that the reason I enjoy Eagle Rare as much as I do is practicality: I can pick up a 750 for 25 dollars after tax (or a 1.75 for 48) at Jacob's Liquor Exchange here in Wichita. when I was "new" to whiskies, this was an excellent deal for one of the more premium brands, and I got used to it. I've found things I like more, but too many of those things are just too much more expensive.

This is why I, for one, am really looking forward to ERSB! I can get a 1.75 of it for ~$44 here. And it seems to have won a lot of awards and gotten a lot of good reviews. (I can understand that everyone has a difference of opinion. But if everyone likes it, there's gotta be some redeeming quality about it.)

Re: New to Bourbon & Confused about PracticalWhisky.net

Originally Posted by loneranger84

This is why I, for one, am really looking forward to ERSB! I can get a 1.75 of it for ~$44 here. And it seems to have won a lot of awards and gotten a lot of good reviews. (I can understand that everyone has a difference of opinion. But if everyone likes it, there's gotta be some redeeming quality about it.)